the brown paper bag party

A fun creative evening takes friends, brown paper bags and crayons. Suitable for introverts, people with a bad hair day, adults who still draw and do paper crafts, those of us who hate party photos and who suck at taking selfies. The brown paper bag mask will tell a story for you. It will shield you from having to smile if you don´t want to. Masks are so sexy, because it is fun to guess who you are talking to. Paper bags are also not nearly as hot to wear as plastic is, and they are totally disposable after use. Although I would probably hang mine on my wall.

The mask will fit any outfit and the photos taken at this party will be 100% amazing. Just like you, you awkward introvert who should go out more.

Between 1959 and 1963, artist Saul Steinberg produced a series of paper-bag masks with an array of social species, made famous through the photographs taken by Inge Morath of the artist and his friends wearing the masks in various settings.

The idea of disguise is central to Steinberg’s art. In the world as he saw it, everyone wears a mask, whether real or metaphorical. People invent personas through makeup, facial expression, hairstyles, and these facades become who they are. “The mask,” Steinberg wrote, “is a protection against revelation.”

Saul Steinberg (June 15, 1914 – May 12, 1999) was a Romanian and American cartoonist and illustrator, best known for his work for The New Yorker, most notably View of the World from 9th Avenue. He described himself as “a writer who draws”. Check out Saul Steinberg page on Artsy, which provides visitors with up-to-date Steinberg exhibition listings, over 60 of his works, and exclusive articles.

Photos: Portraits with Masks (from the Mask Series with Saul Steinberg), 1962. Photographed by Inge Morath, The Inge Morath Foundation.